


i learned that love tastes good

by bellarkesizedmattress



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, College, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-10 22:11:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13510794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellarkesizedmattress/pseuds/bellarkesizedmattress
Summary: Two unlikely dormmates fall in love their first semester of college.(the title is a lyric from The Front Bottom's song Bae, I do not own it)





	1. move in day

Amy was nervous.  
She'd dreamed of going to college her entire life. Ivy League pennants hung from her bedroom wall as long as she'd known what an Ivy League school was. She spent hours in middle school creating mock class schedules and doodling diplomas. Now the day had finally come.  
Well, not the exact day she'd intended. Getting waitlisted at every other school she'd applied to had been heartbreaking. She knew she should've retaken the SAT's a sixth time. Her mother had been reminding her all summer that Columbus College was still an elite school with a low acceptance rate. None of her brothers had gotten in. Still, Amy was counting down the days until she could reapply for a transfer. A 4.0 here would be easy enough to get, and she was sure any of her professors would write a killer recommendation letter...  
A minivan whizzed past her, causing her to almost drop the box she was carrying. As she regained her grip on the cardboard, she caught a glimpse of a dark-haired boy in the front seat. He was grinning goofily, and she was almost sure it was at her.  
-  
Jake was nervous.  
He hadn't wanted to go to college at all, let alone out of the city and away from his mom. He wanted to become a detective and solve crimes but his mom told him to get a college degree first. She didn't want him to turn into his father, which Jake supposed was far, he just didn't want to leave her. She kept telling him six hours wasn't a far drive at all, that there were buses and trains, but he was still unhappy that Columbus College was the only school he'd gotten into.  
He was also still convinced it was a fluke. "Their acceptance rate is like, 6%! Did they not see my SAT scores?" He'd said in shock the day the large envelope appeared in his mailbox.  
"What a beautiful campus." His mother commented as they pulled into the parking lot in the minivan they'd rented to bring all his things up. She flew by a girl clutching a box, who started as the car passed her. She was stunning; dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and brown, sparkling eyes that Jake could see from the car.  
"Yeah," He smiled. "Beautiful."  
-  
"Welcome to Columbus College, Brooklyn Hall!"  
All the other kids around her cheered. Amy thought it was some sort of cruel joke when she saw her assigned dormitory was named after her home city. She'd read several articles about combatting homesickness, and this didn't seem like it'd be helpful. She wished she'd been given a room in the other freshman dorm, Queens Hall. All the residence halls were named after boroughs since the majority of the student body came from the city. Her roommate Rosa, an intimidating girl dressed in a leather jacket and a permanent scowl was also from New York. The two sat next to each other at their floor meeting in the common room, which was being run by their RA, Gina.  
"Let's all go around the room and introduce ourselves. None of that name, major, where you're from crap, just say something interesting about yourselves. Okay, Jake, you go." Gina nodded at a boy slouched into a couch near the front.  
"Thanks, Gina." The boy grinned a wide, goofy grin and straightened himself. Amy recognized him as the boy whose mom almost ran her down in the parking lot. Was he on her floor? "My name's Jake Peralta and my fun fact is Gina and I went to high school together."  
"Yeah that's right kids, Jakey and I know each other. You all now have to work twice as hard if you want to be my favorite and get away with keeping weed in your room. Okay, little dude next to Jake, your turn."  
-  
Jake was finally starting to relax. Having an old friend as his RA was helping him relax. Setting up his room had also helped. His mom had set his TV up right next to his bed so he could watch "Die Hard" as late at night as he wanted without disturbing his roommate, Charles. Not that it seemed like anything would bother Charles, the kid was so eager to get along with Jake he'd blurted out "Mine too!" by accident when Jake had said, "Hi, my name is Jake."  
Scanning the room was also helping Jake relax. Everyone else seemed as uncomfortable as he was, making him more comfortable. Charles babbled 'fun facts' about himself for two minutes straight until Gina cut him off. The girl from the parking lot was sitting cross-legged on the floor, biting her nails, seemingly at the prospect of having to come up with a fun fact about herself.  
"Rosa Diaz, you don't need to know anything about me." Parking lot girl flinched as Rosa's heavily lined eyes turned to her, awaiting her introduction.  
"I'm Amy Santiago," She blurted, a little too loudly. "And my fun fact is I love learning."  
"Wow, what a looker." Charles murmured into Jake's ear.  
"Looker? Really Charles? What decade is it?" But Jake had to agree. Amy was, as Charles had said, a looker, even as a pink flush crept across her cheeks. Maybe college wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. first day

"Hey, stranger."  
Amy jolted up from her position hunched over her desk. She'd gotten to her creative writing class half an hour early and had been reading the textbook to pass the time until the rest of the students arrived. She hadn't noticed others starting to filter in until now.  
Jake grinned and slid into the desk next to hers. He grinned a lot, she'd noticed already, his face split into a smile that was goofy yet contagious at the same time. "Amy, right?"  
"Jake, right?" The corners of his mouth twitched up even more, if possible.  
"You live on my floor." Jake nodded at his own comment and turned towards the front of the room, still smiling. Did he ever stop smiling? Amy gave him a once over out of the corner of her eye. He was tall, taller than her at least, and slouched back in his desk with ease. His curly hair seemed a little neater today, perhaps he'd brushed it for the first day of classes. His laid-back style suggested he was the kind of guy who put in minimal effort, unlike Amy who'd changed her outfit six times despite Rosa's silent judgment.  
The professor entered, causing Amy's attention to shift away from her desk mate, though not without first noting the small dimples at the corners of his lips.  
-  
Jake could barely pay attention all class.  
Not that he usually paid close attention to his classes, although he did promise himself he'd make a better effort now that he was paying several thousand dollars to attend them. Today, however, he was especially distracted. Amy's mere presence kept tearing his attention away from the lecture. Her hair was down today, and curling softly around her face. She'd also sigh occasionally, a soft noise Jake suspected was of content. Her eyes glowed at every word Professor Jeffords spoke. He'd never seen someone so enthusiastic to be in a mandatory English class.  
As the class drew to a close he couldn't help himself.  
"Want to grab some lunch after this?" He whispered to Amy. Her eyes darted over to him for only a second, fast enough for him to notice they were crinkling into a smile, before refocusing on Professor Jeffords.  
"Shhh," She hissed, then, after the professor turned his back for a moment, "I'd love to."  
-  
"You cannot tell me Sal's isn't the best pizza in Brooklyn!" Jake snorted with indignance. Amy hid a smile by taking a sip of her water. The two were sitting in the crowded dining hall arguing over the best spots in New York. Jake was also from the city, which Amy had put together from the Knicks pajamas he'd sported at the floor meeting the night before. His decision to get three slices of pizza for lunch rather than a healthier, balanced meal like Amy had prompted their discussion, which had flowed easily for the past half hour.  
"Their sauce is good." Amy conceded.  
"Good enough." Jake sighed and leaned back in his chair overdramatically. Their eyes met and lingered, and Amy suddenly felt nervous. His eyes weren't quite green but they weren't quite brown either. Regardless, they sparkled in a way that made her feel unsafe.  
"I should get going," The words were out of her mouth and she was gathering her dishes before she could think. "I have, um, homework."  
"On the first day?" But Jake seemed unphased. He helped her carry her plates over to the kitchen. "Let me walk me back to your dorm."  
"That's okay." If Jake had heard her, he pretended he hadn't. They headed towards Brooklyn Hall side by side.  
-  
"Well, this is me." Amy stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar. She'd tried to insist that he didn't have to walk her right up to her door, but Jake was nothing if not a gentleman. Or he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. There was something beneath Amy's perfect exterior that he was desperate to discover.  
"This was nice." Jake took a small step towards her, which Amy countered by flinging her door open to reveal her roommate lounging on one of the twin sized beds.  
"Rosa, this is Jake. Jake, Rosa." She stammered. Jake nodded at Rosa, who was glaring at him as if he were the devil reincarnate.  
"Sup." Rosa muttered.  
"Hello." Jake was determined to keep Amy's interest. "Hey, give me your phone."  
She eyed him. "Why?"  
"Because I'm going to steal it," He deadpanned. "No, seriously, just give it to me." She handed him the phone with apprehension. Jake tapped on the screen for a moment, then handed it back. "My number. In case you need anything or need to be reminded who has the best pizza in Brooklyn."  
He was sure he saw a flicker of a smile cross Amy's face as she took the phone back from him. "I'll see you around." She murmured, and with that, walked into her room and closed the door.  
"Yeah," Jake smiled. "I'll see you around."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These will get longer once they start actually dating, I'm just too impatient to write slow burn and like to fast forward over the early stuff. Thanks for reading! I didn't think anyone actually would, it means a lot.


	3. first weekend

Amy did not expect to find herself stranded at a frat house on a Friday night. A group of random girls on her floor had talked her into going out with them. Not wanting to be the odd one out, Amy had reluctantly found her tightest pair of jeans, borrowed some eyeliner from Rosa, and tagged along. Now, however, she was alone and panicking. She pressed through the sea of sweaty bodies, straining her eyes to try and spot someone she knew through the smoky air. All Amy had done was go upstairs to get some water, and now she couldn't see a single soul she recognized.  
Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes. The music was too loud and it was too hot and everything reeked of weed. Not wanting to cry in a basement full of strangers, Amy jostled her way to the front door and slipped out into the darkness.  
The night air was cold on Amy's skin. She'd lent her jacket to one of the girls who'd ditched her after a stranger had spilled a drink down her shirt. Shivering a bit in her tank top, Amy scanned the groups that had spilled out onto the driveway with her. A girl was vomiting into a bush while another held her hair. Cars circled the end of the driveway, Ubers and taxis and upperclassmen friends with their own cars. Amy grabbed her phone to call her own ride. She wished she could walk back to campus, but she wasn't sure how far away she was.  
She tried to open the Uber app. It wouldn't load. She tried again. Nothing. Amy groaned. She didn't have enough service to call for a car or look up a taxi company's number. She tried messaging Rosa, who'd stayed in for the night, on Facebook. Rosa hadn't given Amy her cell phone number, something Amy was okay with until now.  
Panic was starting to set in. Amy was truly stranded. She flipped through her contact list, desperately trying to find someone on campus she could call. She breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted a potential name.  
"Please be sober." She hit call.  
-  
Jake wished his first Friday night at college was a little more interesting than it was currently.  
He'd wanted to go out and experience his first college party, but Charles wasn't interested, and Jake wasn't stupid enough to go alone. So, instead of playing beer pong in the basement of a frat, he instead found himself playing video games while Charles babbled loudly about how horrible the dining hall food was. It was boring.  
Thankfully, his phone started ringing. Grateful for an escape from Charles's complaints, Jake slipped into the hallway to answer. "Hello?"  
"Jake? I'm so sorry to do this." The voice on the other end was tearful, scared, desperate. Amy.  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Jake cupped his hand over the phone to attempt to hear better. Wherever Amy was, the connection was staticky, and he didn't want to miss a word she said.  
"Are you sober?" For the first time all night, Jake was thankful for his answer, "Yes." There was a pause from Amy. Jake could hear her ragged breathing. "Amy?"  
"Can you come get me? I'll send you the address."  
"Absolutely. Stay right there, I'll be there as soon as possible." Jake ran back into his room and grabbed his hoodie from the bed. Charles looked at him with confusion, but Jake waved him away.  
"Can you stay on the phone with me?" Amy's voice was practically a whisper.  
"Of course. Where are you?" Jake gestured at Charles to give him his phone, which he thankfully did without question. "Okay, Amy, there's an Uber that can get to you in two minutes. It'll be faster than me coming to get you, but I'll meet you outside our dorm. Sound good?"  
Again, Amy whispered her response. "Okay. Just keep talking."  
"I can do that." Jake leaned back on his bed. "Have you ever seen the movie Die Hard?"  
-  
Amy couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed as the car pulled onto campus. She'd completely overreacted, poor Jake probably thought she was wasted or had gotten injured, he was being so sweet to her. She could see him standing outside their building, phone to ear. The sight of him, in his pajamas, hair wet and rumpled, was enough to make tears well in her eyes again, and she had just managed to stop crying.  
"I see you." She murmured into the phone.  
"Really? How do I look?"  
Before she could answer the question, the car had stopped and she was out on the sidewalk. Jake slid his arm around her back and she buried her face in his shoulder.  
"It's okay, you're okay now." He rubbed her back in slow circles.  
"I'm sorry, I overreacted. I'm fine, I'm not even drunk. I was just alone and scared and-"  
"It's okay, really. You weren't comfortable in a situation so you did what you had to do to get out of it. You can always come to me if you need something." Amy lifted her head to look at Jake. His eyes were warm and understanding. She sniffed. "Come on, let's get you inside." His arm didn't move from around her shoulders the entire time. He was warm and his sweatshirt was soft and he smelled like soap. They stopped outside her door and Amy wished he wouldn't let her go. He didn't. She turned to face him, his hand still on her lower back.  
"How much do I owe you for the car?" Jake shook his head, smiling softly.  
"Please. You owe me nothing."  
"Are you sure? I feel really bad, I-" Amy's words stopped in their tracks when Jake took her forearms in his hands. Her skin burned under his fingers. They were standing so close together she could see every fleck of color in his eyes, even under the dull lights of the hallway.  
"Don't feel bad, it was nothing." Jake smiled again and pulled her into a hug. Amy let her head fall into the curve of his neck, her lips hovering above his collarbone. Her heart was beating so fast he could surely feel it. He felt safe, solid against her. His hands lingered around her as they broke apart. "Have a good night."  
"You too." Amy watched him disappear down the hall and took a shaky breath. She wasn't sure why she felt so jittery all of a sudden.   
\-   
"Is everything okay?" Charles asked as Jake slipped back into their room. He felt bad, the lights were off and Charles had clearly been trying to sleep. Jake crept across the floor and sank onto his bed. Slowly unzipping his hoodie, he noticed he could smell Amy's perfume on it. His lips subconsciously twitched up. "Yeah, everything's great." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi my name is Maddie and I don't know how to write things that actually happened to me.

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Columbus College is not a real school (as far as I know) but it's based on small liberal arts colleges like Skidmore, Hamilton, or Ithaca. I know Amy could totally get into an Ivy but Jake couldn't so I'm trying to make it realistic, okay?


End file.
